Father also facing charges for residential break and enter

Man accused of breaking into local residents, and his father, appear in court in two separate show-cause hearings.

A 38-year-old Charlottetown man charged with breaking into two city restaurants earlier this month has been remanded in custody until dealt with by law.

Hartley Coleman had been seeking release pending trial on multiple offences but at the conclusion of a show-cause hearing Tuesday in P.E.I. Supreme Court that application was rejected.

Show-cause hearings are held to determine whether an accused person should be remanded in custody pending trial or released upon agreeing to comply with a set of conditions imposed by the court.

Charles Thompson, the prothonotary of the Supreme Court, said the detention of Coleman was necessary in order to maintain the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.

Coleman is charged with breaking into the Subway restaurant at the intersection of Belvedere Avenue and University Avenue and into a Tim Hortons on Mount Edward Road. Both of those breaks occurred at the height of a snowstorm.

He is also charged with possession of drugs, driving while his licence to operate a motor vehicle was suspended and breach of probation.

Coleman has an extensive criminal record and just two months ago was acquitted of smashing a window at a Greco Pizza restaurant and stealing the cash drawer.

While acquitted of those more serious charges, he pleaded guilty at that time to two charges of theft.

He was subsequently placed on probation and it is that probation order he is now accused of breaching.

Crown counsel John McMillan outlined the Crown’s case against Coleman Tuesday for the show-cause hearing but that information cannot be published or broadcast at this time due to a publication ban.

Coleman will appear in provincial court on these latest charges Feb. 28.

Father also in court

A show-cause hearing was also held Tuesday for Harley Coleman, of Rennies Road, the son of the former accused.

The younger Coleman is charged with committing a break and enter at a residence on Pleasant Street and causing damage to property.

Following representations by the Crown and defence counsel, Thompson chose to release him upon certain conditions.

Those conditions include such things as keeping the peace and being of good behaviour, staying away from anyone specified by the court and reporting to police at least once a week.